Cuban ballet star Carlos Acosta is staging world dance premieres at one of Britain’s top ballet companies to welcome audiences back after the “nightmare” of the pandemic lockdowns.
The 47-year-old, who took over as director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet early last year, said that he could not wait to “connect” with ballet-goers again through a mixed programme of both modern and classical dance.
Acosta grew up in poverty in Cuba but his prodigious talent propelled him into major roles at dance companies, including The Royal Ballet in London.
He hung up his ballet shoes in 2016 and in January 2020 took over the reins of the Birmingham company, based in the UK’s second largest city.
However, soon after his appointment, the country was plunged into a series of lengthy lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Very traumatic
“It was very traumatic,” Acosta said, after leading a class at his studio. “This institution is very large. It was all new to me.”
He had the task of keeping the company’s finances afloat and chose to reduce his own salary so all 60 dancers could be paid in full.
The Birmingham Royal Ballet was one of the first British companies to go back to live performances in October, between two lockdowns.
The first live show programmed by Acosta was a one-act ballet called “Lazuli Sky”.
Dancers obeyed rules on social distancing by performing in voluminous skirts, inspired by the crinolines worn in the 19th century when this was believed to prevent cholera transmission.
“I wanted to leave a record behind of the pandemic,” Acosta said, of the show’s concept.
But the lockdown rules on dancers not touching each other were “very unnatural”, he admitted.
“With no contact, there are limited things that you can do.”
False hope
Later, the company started rehearsing with dancers in “bubbles” to reduce the risk of the entire company having to self-isolate if one fell ill.
Soon afterwards, the UK locked down again, with theatres only briefly reopening in December before closing again until early this month.
“It was like a false sense of hope,” said Rosanna Ely, a 25-year-old dancer at the company.
The pandemic “has been a nightmare for everyone”, Acosta agreed.
For dancers, “the body suffers” but the lockdowns and reopenings were also “very damaging” psychologically, he said.
For the company, closing down during the normally lucrative festive season was financially disastrous, too.
The cancellation of Christmas performances of “The Nutcracker” meant it lost around £1 million (1.2 million euros, $1.4 million), Acosta said.
To welcome audiences back, Acosta is putting on “Curated by Carlos: Triple Bill”, a performance made up of three short ballets, two of which are world premieres, from June 10.
One of the premieres — “City of a Thousand Trades” from Havana-born choreographer Miguel Altunaga — celebrates Birmingham’s industrial heritage.
The other, “Imminent”, by Brazilian-British choreographer Daniela Cardim, is inspired by themes including climate change.
“It’s very eclectic, it’s fresh... it’s what I think is the way forward for a ballet company of the 21st century,” Acosta said.
The company will also be staging a traditional favourite, “Cinderella”, later in June. — AFP
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